Golden Perspectives: “How do you feel about the Chicago Teachers Union strike?”

“I think that because they’re trying to defend their interests. If they feel that they deserve a better pay, then it is their right to protest or acknowledge what they are trying to say. I heard they were going to cut the budget for teachers and close the schools. What I thought is, since I’m an international student, it would affect me because I wouldn’t have the resources to transfer to another school and pay more in tuition.”

Becca Peterson: Junior

“I think that it wouldn’t be necessary if the government would treat teachers with the same respect and for the position of teaching, that they treat a lot of other positions. I don’t think they take the teachers’ jobs very seriously. Yeah, there is an intrinsic motivation to teaching, but it is a job at the end of the day, and the job is to educate young people. If you’re educating the next generation that’s going to take care of you when you’re old, that better be a damn respectable job, and I don’t think it’s given the sort of respect it deserves. In summary, I do support the strike because they’re fighting for fair benefits and the things they deserve. They shouldn’t have to fight for them.”

Jack Gehringer: Senior

“Well, they need to be paid better, but at the same time, my internship is affected by that. I have an internship with the Culinary Community Center in their after-school program, and their after school program is run by CPS, so it’s frustrating. The union isn’t really asking for something too extravagant, so they just want better wages. They want better wages and they want programs that can actually benefit their students, and CPS is making it hard for them to do that with the crap they’re putting them through.”

Ryan Susa: Junior

“I’m appalled that the CTU are going on strike for the second time in under five years. This greatly affects me since I am currently studying to become a teacher; I have a high interest in teaching in Chicago. I feel that our leaders in our government, especially Mayor Rahm, haven’t been very supportive of CPS, even after the first strike. There needs to be a higher interest in resolving problems within CPS because I feel they get neglected by our government.”